Since I have been at school (last semester & now graduated YAY), I have had my ups and downs. I mostly was too busy to blog on a daily basis and I also lived in a dorm with the most horrendous lighting. I didn’t even have access to a window so I decided I wasn’t going to half-ass it. And since it was my last semester of college – I went out, had lots of fun but could have definitely been healthier in general. Now it’s time to get back on track.

SO I am back at home now with windows, natural lighting and of course lots of time.

I then went for a run. I’m training for a 15k Road Race (The Boilermaker) which takes place in July. My joints are killer but I have been trying to push through it. I am thinking about taking Glucosamine as a supplement. Maybe that’ll help.

After my 3.65 run, I wanted beans.

So I had some delicious vegetarian baked beans.

Why do my friends make fun of me for loving beans? They are good for your heart…

Haha anyways, I also made myself some Iced Powerfruit Green Tea. I used a Lipton packet, brewed a cup and then put it in the freezer to cool it down. Then poured it over ice. SO refreshing.

I honestly haven’t noticed a difference until I started having chest pains while running.

My doctor had me start Prilosec OTC and it’s helping.

Therefore – these chest pains seem to be the result of the increased levels of spiciness in my diet within the past 6 months.

Gahhh I just cannot help myself!!!

Whatever these peppers aren’t that spicy…

Good salad. And I am now eating a clementine…again.

God I need to stop eating too many treats! I am not talking about clementines, but the dang brownies & cookies. Once I get back to school, I will be away from these never-ending snacks. Thank GAWD.

I will attempt to restrain myself from another pumpkin cookie today, but I’m not sure I have the willpower. Someone help me!

***

It’s warm out so I should go for a run, but I’ve been so consumed with packing all day to go back to NYC on Sunday. Once I start being productive, it’s hard to stop. And once I stop – there’s no starting again.

I just found two large bottles of hot sauce I bought to bring back with me…haha…

I love being home because I have so much to choose from. Usually when I am shopping and cooking for myself, my lack of income tends to hurt me creatively when cooking. It doesn’t help that an oven isn’t always available.

Only 2 more weeks until I’m a struggling college student again!

I’m excited!!! For real though, I am. NYC is calling my name so loudly right now.

I woke up at about 10am and was hungry of course. My sister, Hannah, texted me at 11am before I even got up out of bed telling me that we were going to Bennu (a nearby wonderful restaurant) for lunch.

I had some yogurt to hold me over…with PUMPKIN!

Mommy bought this for me after I told her I wanted to make some pumpkin oatmeal! How nice she is! Thank you, Sandy. I added it to yogurt and not oatmeal because oatmeal fills me up and I didn’t want to be filled up for lunch, ya digg?

Oikos 0% Yogurt

Pumpkin

Blueberries

Salted Almonds & Pecans

Honey

Packet of Splenda (needed more sweetness)

Tons of Cinnamon

I like to call this PPY (Pumpkin Pie Yogurt).

Here. Try some.

Then I took pictures of Izzy. Here’s one.

A couple hours pass and it was time for lunch.

Hello, gorgeous.

We ordered Sweet Potato Fries with the amazing zingy dip for the table.

Seriously. I need to share this meal with the world. Yeah, it’s a salad but a damn good salad! It probably is the best salad I have ever created. I’d like to call it: CWS aka Casi’sWinter Salad. HAHA not very unique but it is pretty wintery and I made it, so there it is.

I wish I had better pictures, someone please buy me a camera 🙂

Like…trust me. It was so good, I am SO making it again tomorrow.

Spring Mix

Cherry Tomatoes

Feta Cheese

Chopped Walnuts

Roasted Butternut Squash & Orange Cauliflower

When roasting the veggies, set the oven to 425ºF then pop them in after drizzling with EVOO, Sea Salt & Freshly ground Pepper. Cook for about 15 minutes (depending on how crispy you like ’em).

And as for the simple dressing I mixed:

EVOO

Red Wine Vinegar

Sea Salt & Cracked Pepper

Whole Grain Mustard

Horrible lighting, but there it is.

I insist you try this. I am not sure if I found this especially delicious because I was especially hungry after a 5 mile run, but you should give CWS a shot. Whether you run before or not.

The feta + butternut squash + mustard = wonderful balance of flavors. Roasted vegetables are delicious any way, but I truly love them in this salad.

I gotta start with the bad news because I would hate to end on a sour note. This will be my last post for about a week (probably less). I have been using my phone camera for photos and I no longer have a charger so I gotta keep it off. But the next time I post – HOPEFULLY I’ll have real pictures taken from a real camera. And I’ll be back in the wonderful USA (that’s the good news)!

I leave Australia in 3 days. THREE days. I cannot believe that. I am very anxious to get home to some nice crisp weather (unlike this humid hot mess we got goin’ on over here). CANNOT wait to see my family and friends!

I went to the store for some last minute souvenirs and ended up finding a very cheap piece of a pumpkin (to cook haha that sounds weird, but it was not even 60 cents) and a sweet potato. YAY can’t wait to cook those up tonight for a nice comfort dinner. I’m planning on sautéing them together with a little honey and cinnamon (yep, sweet indeed).

OH and (more good news) I also bought my favorite snack in the world: BHUJA SPICY PEAS. I am going to attempt to keep them sealed until at least Wednesday. Ha, let’s see how that goes. They’ll be perfect for the plane(s) though. Along with the newest Cosmopolitan Magazine – it’s the January 2012 (Australian version – good souvenir, too 😉 ) issue and I am definitely refraining from reading it before I get on the plane. Lots to look forward to!

***

So like I said earlier, I was feeling quite ill this morning. I keep trying to figure out why and maybe it’s my iron deficiency? The doctor said it’s not extremely low, but it’s the only thing I could come up with. So I ate my last frozen burger for lunch.

Animal meat has the best kind of iron for your body. It’s the most easily digested, especially red meat. So yes – perfect pick-me-up! I feel better already!

I topped this burger with melty cottage cheese! On the side is two Cos Lettuce leaves with a whole tomato and sauteed onion and garlic. Hearty, me likey.

Then for some more greens:

A salad with yet MORE tomatoes and onions, along with cucumber. Dressed in lemon juice, evoo, salt, pepper & garlic powder.

This meal tasted like I was eating “taco bell”…except not really because nothing compares to Taco Bell. Did you know there are no Taco Bell’s in Australia? I know, I’ve been deprived for over five months….!

Any who, I rolled it up just like a taco, half of burger in each leaf. Holy YUM! Then I slapped on Siracha for some spice. Very satisfying, I think it was exactly what I needed. I’m so not cut-out to be a vegetarian. Meat is too yummy and fuels me so nicely (speaking of which – I haven’t had plain chicken in such a long time. Or salmon, which is not ‘meat’ but I’m getting my hands on some when I get home!).

Lunch brightened the mood a tad (hence: Mexican Delight), although it is still raining cats & dogs.

I should take a picture of my fridge because it’s just about empty. But I’d rather you not feel bad for me and focus on what I can create out of the very little groceries I have left. I like to call this Mexican Delight:

Lettuce

Lentils

Cannellini Beans

Tomato

Avocado

Fresh Chopped Garlic

Lemon Squeeze, Garlic Powder, Salt, Pepper

Simply mix all ingredients (except lettuce) and let sit in the fridge for a bit before eating. That way, the flavors mesh and it turns into a decadent guacamole-type thang.

This would be superb with black beans, onions and cilantro. That would totally Mexify it! Mexify is a word if I say so. But of course I ran out of onions yesterday and do not currently have black beans or cilantro on hand. It was still exceptionally yummy without them. Oh tortilla chips, duh! Yes get your hands on those, too!

SO good with these bad boys:

In case you’re wondering, these are the crisps I have been using. Now that I’m all out (damn) I will have to wait to buy more (or something like them) when I get back to NY. If you click on the picture you can more easily see the wonderful nutrition facts. Yes, KJ is Kilojoules which is about 4 times the amount of calories (1 Cal = 4.18 KJ).

After devouring my very last rye crisp (sad face), I tossed the mixture & lettuce together to make a wondrous salad. Then I squeezed more lemon juice atop and WALA!

Needed something else (and warm) so I made popcorn for one! Again, no pity needed.

Rummaged through the cupboards and BINGO popcorn to the rescue.

I love homemade popcorn more than any other kind. All you do is coat the bottom in canola oil, throw in some kernels on medium heat, and do not forget to COVER IT. Obvious, but important to not forget. Then sprinkle with kosher or sea salt. Course salt is the best. Get some if you don’t own any. You’ll thank me later.

***

The gym isn’t looking good. I wanna get the H outta here, but the rain+cold= no thanks. If I didn’t have to walk through this miserable weather to catch the bus, then alright. But no. Not today folks.

After breakfast I headed outside for a walk. Halfway through it started to sprinkle on my head, but luckily it stopped. Seven hours later and it’s STILL not raining, I’m just waiting for a nice big thunderstorm.

When I got back I made some lunch & watched The View and Dr. Oz.

This definitely could have passed as a breakfast. But I like eggs anytime of the day, don’t you?

The eggs are my favorite part. They absorb the flavors from the veggies and O-M-G. I don’t know why, but it tastes amazing. It is so simple yet one of my favorite dishes on planet earth. You must try it!

And make a lot so you have leftovers! That’s when the tastiness manifests into insanity.

***

Steph and I headed down to the Rec Room to watch a couple episodes of Modern Family and Gossip Girl. Ooh another fun fact: a few years ago I met one of the stars of GG. Dan Humphrey anyone?

I was 18 years old here with my friend Cara to the right and Mr. Penn Badgley in the middle. Talk about throwback.

As we watched, I enjoyed some frozen fruit salad. I made a GIANT bowl of tons of cut up fruit (pineapple, grapes, nectarines, kiwi, apple, pear) and wanted it to last so I portioned it out into serving sizes and froze ’em. I just couldn’t wait for it to thaw, plus I love frozen grapes. So refreshing!

***

And for dinner I made soup…again. Just like last night’s except I added cannellini beans.

And I pictured it with Siracha Sauce this time, just for you guys haha.

There must be something about soup that makes you feel good on the inside. Probably the warmth (and the great feeling that it is oh so healthy). Delish.

***
Steph leaves tomorrow. For those of you who don’t know who Steph is…she’s my roommate. And my best friend here in Australia. Wahhhh I’m so sad, but we’ll be visiting each other back in the states! No worries, mate 😉

After my delicious oatmeal incident this morning, I went to the gym. I warmed up on the treadmill for about ten minutes then did a mini circuit rotating between lunges, free weights and abs. I finished off with more treadmill and a good stretch.

On the way home on the bus I was day dreaming about avocados. So I incorporated the other half from last night into my salad for lunch.

It was like a fiesta salad! Similar to last night’s …the flavor combo gets me every time!

Chopped Lettuce (Salad Base)

Sauteed Zucchini and Onion

Half of a Chicken Burger

Half of an Avocado

Tzatziki

Hot Siracha Sauce

Sea Salf & Lemon to taste

Seriously, fresh squeezed lemon has been the best salad dressing for me lately. Paired with tzatziki, there’s no reason to add anything else! Besides Siracha of course.

***

Speaking of Siracha, I added some into my delicious dinner as well.

Yep, I made soup. Definitely the perfect day for it! It’s like 60 degrees and it’s summer…odd. Not used to it but I think after the rain passes in a few days it will be back to scorchingly hot.

This delectable comfort soup contains:

Sauteed Onion and Garlic

Lentils

Water

Chili Powder

Sea Salt

Romaine Lettuce

Basil

I’m running low on food (I leave in 10 days and don’t want to buy too much) but the mixture of these simple ingredients was a definite success. I give it an A! It’s very healthy and very very yummy.

***

To cool down for dessert I put some yogurt in the freezer for about 20 minutes.

I of course topped it with Goji Berries, Almonds, Coconut, and Cinnamon. My favorite.

You can kind of see (thanks to my magnificent phone camera) how its a bit frozen.

***

After enjoying my yogurt, Steph and I ventured out into the chilliness for a walk. It started misting on our way back and I had some serious goosebumps (I wore shorts and a t-shirt, bad decision). I ate an apple and tahini as we watched a few re-run episodes of The Big Bang Theory. If you’ve never seen it, do yourselves a favor! It’s one of my all-time favorite shows.

Well it’s past 9pm, therefore past my bedtime. Haha just kidding…well, not really. I’m very tired and have a slight headache. Time to sleep it off.